Something There
by FerryBerry
Summary: ON HIATUS. Set after 2x20 "Prom Queen." St. Berry friendship. Jesse sees something Rachel refuses to.
1. Something There

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. All belongs to _Glee_ writers and creators.

**A/N:** I just had too many Faberry feelings and had to get them out somehow.

**Spoilers:** 2x20 "Prom Queen"; nothing too bad, but just to be safe.

**Something There**

"Thank you for helping me with this song, Jesse. I knew I was on the right track, but there seemed to be something off, and now I know what," Rachel said cheerfully, smiling sweetly up at her lost-and-found ally as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and straightened.

His ever-present smirk refused to fade. "You know I'm always glad to help you, Rachel. As one artist to another, it's my duty to help you blossom your wealth of talent."

"As long as I'm not competition," she amended teasingly, and Jesse chuckled, tossing his head to get a stray lock of gelled hair back into place.

"Exactly," he agreed lightly.

The pause that settled between them was surprisingly comfortable considering, well…all the egg yolks painting their messy past, but Rachel had discovered over the past couple of weeks that being in Jesse's presence was nothing short of a relief. He understood her entirely, unlike Finn, who only seemed to understand one thing: don't have, want. She shook her head of the man-boy she'd sworn to move on from, instead focusing on the man-diva before her. The man-diva who _got_ her, who was so regretful for what he'd done that rather than simply dropping college to find fame elsewhere—perhaps '_American Idol_' or something—he had come back to Lima, Ohio, one of the smallest dots on the map. Just to make amends.

And he'd been nothing but good to her since his return. And though there was that brief moment of intimacy at the prom she'd allowed them both to indulge in, he'd been nothing but a gentleman. He let her take her time in forgiving him and…well, after this afternoon's session of practice with his unbiased, blunt, but constructive criticisms, she felt she really was ready.

Which was why Rachel crept forward a few steps, into his space, fiddling with her fingers at her waistline as she peered up at him through her lashes.

"I'm really glad you came back, Jesse," she murmured, so that he would have to lean in to hear. He did so, hanging his head low, until their foreheads were almost touching. She smiled. Perfect. "I didn't realize how much I missed having someone who truly gets me like you do."

Jesse smiled-briefly, but it was genuine, and it warmed her heart. "I'm glad I came back, too."

She smiled one more time before sobering, drawing out the wait only a matter of moments before she sucked in a breath and just did what Rachel Berry always did: she went straight for what she wanted. Only Jesse stepped back, and she stumbled and stared in surprise, because…well, wasn't this what he'd wanted? Had she misread the signals? She didn't think she possibly could have.

He came back to Lima for _her_, because he 'gave up love.' Love! He asked her to prom, he danced with her, he kissed her neck and fought with Finn _for her_. What was there to misread?

She guessed her shock must have shown, because Jesse smiled that genuine smile again and reached to squeeze her shoulder before finally opening his mouth to explain. "You know, when I first came back, I envisioned this perfect reunion for the two of us. It was supposed to happen for us the way it did in '_The Phantom of the Opera_' for Raoul and Christine. It nearly did, as you recall. I saw this vision of perfection with the voice of an angel on stage, I joined you in song, and then I was supposed to ask you to your promenade and woo you back to my side."

He heaved a great, dramatic breath here, gripping the strap of his bag as he wandered past her and the piano, looking off toward the ceiling, as though he could see it all there again—his fantasy playing out on an invisible screen. Rachel frowned, turning with him, awaiting further explanation, because what was the problem then? All that had basically happened. Give or take a punch in the face or two.

At last he turned and smirked again. "But something changed, Rachel. I know you still care about me, but…someone else has your heart now."

Rachel's brow knit in consternation, and she immediately opened her mouth to protest. "Finn? Jesse, you were at prom, you saw my rendition of '_Jar of Hearts_.' I could not have been anymore clear about my feelings than if I had ripped a page from my diary. That was about _him_, about me moving on. I thought you knew that."

Jesse chuckled. "Oh, no, I can see that that ship has sailed." He wandered a little closer, smirk growing to almost frightening size as he teased, "I was thinking of someone a little more…blonde."

Her whole face scrunched up. Okay, what?

"_Sam_? Jesse, please tell me that LA did not force you to succumb to the pressures of recreational drug use and—"

He heaved a great sigh, cutting through her words, and said loudly, "I meant Quinn, Rachel."

Silence instantly filled the space between them. Jesse only raised his eyebrows, awaiting more of a reaction than Rachel's flapping jaw and immeasurably wide eyes. He got one. She started shaking her head rapidly and, as usual when she couldn't process something properly, she started to pace madly, brushing past him toward the back of the stage where there was more breathing room.

"That's completely absurd! Qu-_Quinn_ and I? Preposterous, unfounded, and just plain…silly!" she burst out, panting heavily after that short speech and glaring mildly at him.

He just huffed a chuckle. "You can deny it all you want, Rachel, but I know I'm right. I've seen the way you two look at each other, especially after prom. Something shifted. I don't know exactly what, but there is something there whether you want to acknowledge it or not."

"You're insane," she said firmly, turning away again as she folded her arms protectively against her chest.

Things had been…strange between herself and Quinn, since that moment in the bathroom where the blonde actually let her guard down, let her dry her tears. Let her take care of her. Rachel had been shocked by how much she cared about Quinn. Jesse was right, something _had_ shifted, and she wasn't sure exactly what it was, only that to let it in, to acknowledge whatever that feeling was that crept into her chest and curled up contentedly in her heart every time she looked into Quinn's eyes was simply…dangerous.

And Rachel had suffered enough heartache. She had to start protecting herself again.

It didn't help that every time they met eyes now, a small, genuine smile would quirk and pull at Quinn's pink lips, her hazel gaze softening, showing that fragile side of herself she had shown in the bathroom. It was as though now that Rachel had finally pried that wall open, rather than merely cracking it as she usually did, Quinn was unable to hide from her. And it wasn't good for someone with feelings like Rachel's. Someone whose heart began to race—in the happiest, lightest sense—every time they saw that beautiful, sweet girl beneath the icy mask.

Rachel shook her head of it, closing her eyes to the memory of drying those tears cascading down porcelain cheeks, trying to shut it out. Unfortunately, she couldn't shut Jesse's voice out so easily.

"I'm right," he said decidedly, no trace of hesitance in his tone. And she remembered why he annoyed the hell out of her sometimes. "And honestly, it wouldn't bother me so much if circumstances weren't as they are. I would probably still pursue you and win you back, but right now I don't stand a chance."

She faced him sideways, still not directly meeting his eyes, but she saw his lip curl into an even bigger smirk. She hated that she gave him the satisfaction, showed him her curiosity. "What are you talking about?" she asked reluctantly.

Jesse's smirk was unbearable at this point, and she wanted to slap it right off his face when he started to swagger over to her as he spoke, stepping right in front of her until she had no choice but to look up into his eyes. "Quinn and Finn are going to crumble. Maybe not right away, but after what happened at the prom, it's not just a possibility. It's a matter of time. And once Finn is out of the way of your friendship, it's not a stretch to think that you'll start to bond on a more profound level. If there's an underlying love, Rachel, anything is possible. And I get the impression that that's the case with you and Quinn—the underlying love thing?"

She shook her head, slowly. "You're crazy."

Again, he just smirked. "You can keep saying that, but it doesn't make me any less right. You two have something, and sooner or later it's going to make itself known. I'm not going to be in the way when it does."

He shrugged unapologetically, and Rachel licked her lips as she thought, trying not to let how much his words affected her show. It struck a chord, one she wasn't quite ready to listen to yet, so she latched onto something else—the string of fear he'd also sprung in her. She met his gaze tearfully.

"You're not going to leave, though?" she whimpered, though it came out as more of a plea, and in a matter of moments, she was in his arms.

Rachel let loose then, crying quietly on his shoulder, and smiled lightly when Jesse kissed the top of her head and said, "And leave you with only your denial for company? No way. Someone's got to knock some sense into you. Besides, who needs theater when you provide enough drama to last a lifetime?"


	2. Stolen

**A/N:** I still have too many feelings.

Title drawn from 'Stolen' by Dashboard Confessional because ZOMG how does that not fit right now?

**Stolen**

"I don't want to hear anymore of this nonsense, Jesse St. James," Rachel growled out as she stomped away from his highness toward the safety of her locker, books tucked close to her chest.

The man-diva was following at a leisurely pace that, not for the first time, had her cursing her short stature. It was entirely unfair for him to be keeping up when she was walking at this rate.

His voice echoed the lazy stroll of his steps as he drawled, drawing out the 'u', "It's true."

"It is not!" she insisted, whirling on her heel when she finally arrived at her safe haven and glowering harshly up at him. "You can blabber on about it all you want, but I will never believe it. There is no way that the iconic musical episode of '_Buffy the Vampire Slayer_' that literally changed the landscape of television as we know it was a precursor to Joss Whedon's belated decision in the comics to turn Buffy into a bisexual!"

With that, she dismissed him with a cold shoulder and instantly began flipping the switch to her locker. Jesse only chuckled, folding his arms as he leaned casually up against the metal compartments next to her.

"Rachel, I know you're more observant than this. Just take a look at the camera angles in—"

"I'm not listening to this rubbish," she blew out exasperatedly, shoving her books haphazardly into the open locker before bracing a hand on it to face him and insist, once and for all, "Buffy's bisexuality was planned after the show had already ended. Even Sarah Michelle Gellar had no idea of that facet of the character. However, if you want to argue that Willow's sexuality was hinted at pre-season four, we can have that discussion, though I still maintain that her attraction to the male side of the species makes her more of a bisexual than anything else. In fact, I would go so far as to argue that she was merely gay for Tara."

Jesse opened his mouth, brow crinkling as though he had a major problem with her reasoning, and Rachel braced herself for a debate the likes of Einstein would envy, but the words never came. Instead, his glittering eyes flickered away for a moment before landing back on her, breath blowing out and a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. Rachel fidgeted uncomfortably, frowning.

"What? You know as well as I do that it's entirely possible for a mostly straight woman to happen to find one other woman so beautiful and ambitious and alluring and intelligent and—"

A throat cleared and Rachel froze when she realized that it came from neither herself nor the practically giddy boy in front of her. No, it came from directly behind her, from a rather…familiar height. Giving Jesse a pleading stare, she gradually turned to meet her fate and, sure enough, found the hazel eyes, quirked brow, and amused smirk of one Quinn Fabray.

It made the diva feel marginally better that there was a slight pink tint to her porcelain cheeks, the sole indication that she was not the only one embarrassed by this entire situation. She smiled anxiously.

"Quinn!" Even she winced at the squeakiness of her own voice. "Wh-what a pleasant surprise," she added, lowering her tone considerably.

That sweet, genuine smile curled Quinn's pink lips and Rachel swallowed heavily at the fluttering in her chest that only grew stronger when blonde eyelashes batted shyly over sparkling hazel eyes. Her voice was indescribably soft when she replied, "Hey. Rachel." She cleared her throat, speaking louder when she said, "Jesse."

Rachel angled herself to look back at her partner in crime, finding that unbearably large smirk back on his face. He cracked a brief grin at her and she glared as he pushed off the locker, tossing a nod in the blonde's direction.

"Quinn, always a pleasure to see your _alluring_ se—oomf!"

Rachel beamed her biggest, fakest smile up at a wide-eyed Quinn, pretending she _hadn't_ just elbowed Jesse hard in the stomach as she said brightly, "Is there something we can do for you?"

The 'we' was most definitely a device to inform her 'new best friend' that he was _not_ to leave her side right now. This was the first time she'd really interacted with Quinn other than brief smiles since the prom, and more importantly, since her conversation with Jesse in the auditorium. She didn't know if she could handle being entirely alone with her just yet, even if they were in a hallway filled with people.

She could only hope Jesse would take the hint and not be a jerk. For the second time in only a matter of minutes. Why was he her new best friend again? Oh, yes, because he told her he was….

She hastily shook her head of her thoughts and focused on the beautiful girl in front of her, who was looking at Jesse rather uncomfortably at the moment. Rachel glanced back to make sure he wasn't making any obscene gestures or the like (not that she would normally expect that behavior out of him, but he was still a boy) before returning her innocent eyes to Quinn, whose gaze had again moved, this time to the floor.

"Um. Yeah, I just…I kind of zoned out in History earlier and I was wondering if maybe I could borrow your notes?" she managed eventually, uncertainty written across her face as she finally met Rachel's eyes again. A nervous chuckle escaped her. "You know how it is, with Mr. Caulkin's, like, fifty minute lectures and…."

"Monotone voice complete with lisp? Yeah, I understand," Rachel cut in with a smile, turning back to her locker to dig out the requested notebook. "Lucky for you, I actually managed to keep my eyes and ears open today, so here you go." She handed it over and Quinn took it with a smile of thanks.

The three of them stood there for a moment, Jesse watching Quinn with a smirk, Rachel watching Quinn with a smile, and Quinn watching the floor with a great deal of discomfort. She bit her lip and Rachel nearly smacked herself in the forehead. Of course!

"Oh, and you can just give it back to me in glee later or whenever we happen to catch each other. It's no rush or anything," she assured her, and Quinn smiled again.

"Thanks…."

Again, an awkward silence settled between them and while Rachel certainly didn't mind the opportunity to gaze at Quinn uninterrupted—even though she could practically _feel_ Jesse's smirk—she was a little confused as to what exactly was going on with the blonde, seeing as all she was doing was standing there rocking on her heels every once in a while and glancing at Jesse occasionally. Before she could figure it out, Quinn's shoulders dropped and she sighed and managed to get out, "So…I guess I'll just—"

Before she was rudely interrupted by the man-diva behind the diva.

"Kurt!" Rachel jumped visibly, as did the boy striding purposefully down the hall before whirling on his heels and watching in surprise as Jesse brushed past his best friend with a squeeze of her shoulder and went to join him on his walk to lunch. "Wait up, I'll walk with you. I have a few solo selections to discuss with you."

Rachel's mouth dropped open in shock at his very sudden abandonment, fighting the urge to yell 'traitor' after him and stick her tongue out to boot. But seeing as the secret object of her secret affections to everyone but Jesse was standing directly in front of her, she chose the more ladylike route of closing her mouth, glaring forcefully at his back (maybe she'd manage to make his neck itch for the rest of the day), and smiling uneasily at Quinn before turning back to her locker.

"Well," she mumbled, but whatever else she'd been about to say choked up and died in her throat when Quinn stepped closer, just enough that Rachel could smell her citrus perfume.

She gulped.

"Hey, um." Her gaze flickered instantly to Quinn's hazel eyes, which darted about the hallway anxiously, never happy with a target, it seemed. She took a bracing breath and Rachel held her own as she awaited whatever words would breeze past that perfect pair of lips. What was she going to say? Was she going to tell her to back off Finn again despite the fact that it had been _him_ chasing after _her_ for duets these days? Was she going to tell her to keep what happened in the bathroom on the hush? Not that much had happened, but Quinn had opened up, showed her vulnerable side, and it wouldn't be surprising to find her hurrying to patch it back up, mend the crack in the wall, despite those sweet smiles she'd been giving Rachel the past couple of days.

"I'm not good at this, but…I just wanted to thank you. For…you know, prom," she murmured, eyes trained firmly on their shoes, only about a foot or so apart. She licked her lips nervously, ultimately biting the lower until the pink skin pulled free, and it was only then that Rachel realized Quinn's hazel eyes were finally meeting hers.

She cleared her throat, flushing pink as she said quietly, "I meant every word, you know. You are so much more than just your looks."

Quinn's smile strengthened briefly. "I'm not sure I really believe it yet, but…it helps to hear that."

"I'm glad. You deserve to be happy, Quinn," she said sincerely, smiling widely.

Rachel panicked when the smile dropped and Quinn shifted again, gaze drifting off to who-knows-where as she answered quietly, "Thank you, but…I've realized over the past couple years that happiness is sort of a passing thing."

"It shouldn't be. Particularly for someone like you," she replied firmly, and nearly kicked herself when Quinn's gaze went sharp as she looked at her again, eyebrow raised and on the defensive. Rachel squirmed, fidgeting with her locker door.

"Someone like me?" she scoffed, puzzled, and the diva felt her cheeks go even redder when she lost even more control of her mouth.

"Yes, I mean, you just have so much to offer, I…."

Rachel cleared her throat and swiftly turned her attention to the contents of her locker, cutting herself from saying anything more embarrassing than what she had just blurted. She blindly stuffed a couple of books in her arms to keep up the charade that there had actually been a point to this, nearly jumping to the ceiling when the warning bell rang. She only hoped Kurt and Mercedes had saved her a seat, since Jesse made a habit of ditching them to eat out.

She faced Quinn with red cheeks, only to have her breath stolen away by the remarkably bright, heartwarming smile on the blonde's face—it was quite possibly the most authentic one Rachel had ever seen on her face, even reaching her eyes with their delighted sparkle. Apparently she'd only caught the tail end, however, because it faded ever so slightly into one of those small, still genuine, smiles she had been showing her ever since prom. And then Quinn took a shaky breath.

"Well, um. I'll-I'll see you later. Thanks for the notes," she offered, and Rachel nodded wordlessly. Mostly because her breath was still somewhere in Cuernavaca and didn't look to be coming back anytime soon. That and she was just about on the verge of a heart attack from the palpitations going on in her chest.

Basically, Quinn Fabray was going to be the death of her, and it was all Jesse St. James' fault.

_Stupid denial crusher._


End file.
